Advertising device.



C. H. HETTVIAN.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. s0, 1913.

1,163,771. Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

v IIIIIIHIIWIIIIIIIIII III" C. H. RETTIVIAN.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.so,`I9I3.

1 ,163,771 Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@ III FFIE..

CHARLES I-I. RETTMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1a, 1915.

Application tiled January 30, 1913. Serial No. 745,135.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. RETTMAN, a'citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Advertising Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a 4device for attracting attention and displaying advertising matter upon movable bands, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a device of this class in which the move ment ofthe bands upon which the advertising matter is displayed may appear mysterious to those unacquanited with the movements of the bands and the construction of the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure similar to a roller upon which the bands are rotatable, which will simulate the appearance, construction and operation of one of such rollers without actually rotating.

For the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new Vand useful objects, as will appear, the invention consists in the features of novelty 'in the construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts generally shown in the accompanying d'rawingsand described in the specilication, but more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In 'the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an advertising device constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of the device showing the intermediate fixed member inA section; Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the means for rotating the front roller; Fig. l is a sectional elevation of modified form of the device; and Fig.

5 is a view of one of the rollers showing two bandsin parallel thereon.

This invention consists of one or more endless bands mounted for movement upon rollers and adapted to be drawn through a slot which is hidden so that the movement of the bands will not ordinarily appear to one unacquanited with the construction and operation of the device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings: aI pair of rollers 10 are mounted for free rotation in the frames 11 and are suitably spaced apart so that a member 12 secured to the frames may be interposed between them. The rollers 10 are preferably the slot 16 so that it will provided with flanges 13 at the ends thereof, one of the flanges of each roller being provided with teeth 14 by means of which they may be engaged and rotated by means of a chain 15. The member 12 is provided with a slot 16 which extends in a direction transverse to the plane of the two rollers 10 and preferably extends a distance short of the ends of the member so that the middle portion thereof is divided into two substantially semi-circular portions. At the ends of the member 16 separate ring-shaped collars 17 are freely rotatable which are similar in form and appearance to the lianges 13 of the rollers. These collars are provided on their inside edges with teeth 18 and extending through the member 12, from one end to the other, is a shaft 19 having pinions 2O on the ends thereof which mesh with the teeth 18 so that the rotation of one collar 17 will produce the corresponding rotation of the other collar. 17 is provided on the flanges One of the anges or collars with teeth 141 similar to those ofthe rollers so that they may be rotated in accordance with the rotation of the rollers by means of the chain 15.

Surrounding each of the semi-circular portions of the member 12 is an endless band 21 of material which fits the semi-circular portion closely but slides freely thereon, and

surrounding the rollers 10 and movable through the slot 16 of the member 12 are endless bands 22. In the present exemplification of the invention, although in Figs. 2 and 3 the rollers are shown as accommodating only a single band lengthwise thereof, it 1s obvious that a plurality of bands might be wound about the rollers side by side, but

not over-lapping each other, as shown by Fig. 5 in which there are two bands 22 ar- In order to cover not be apparent to any one viewing the device from the front thereof, the frames 11 are provided with ranged in this manner.

forward extensions 23 in which is mounted an idle roller 24. This idle roller is rotated by engagement with the collars 17, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. This will cover up the slot 16 from the front of the device and when the device is in operation it will appear as though the roller 24 is rotated by frictional engagement with the endless bands 22.

The entire device is supported in any de sired or suitable manner, as for example,

means of a base member 25 and a frame 26 to which the frames 11 are secured. In'

order to rotate the rollersand the bands, a motor of any suitable kind, as indicated for example by the numeral 27, is mounted upon the base 25 and has suitable engagement with the chain 15 to effect the rotation of the rollers whereupon the bands are rotated. It will be seen that in the exemplification of the invention shown by Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the rotation of the roller in one direction will cause the bands to enter and leave the slot 16 so that from the front of the device it will appear that the movement of the bands is continuous from one roller 10 to the other.

1 Any advertising matter, therefore, that is placed on one band will not appear on the other side of the front roller 2li as it should apparently do, but will be carried around through the slot 16 by the belt upon which it appears, thereby causing confusion to an observer and directing his attention and interest thereto.

If desired, the `construction may be slightly varied, as shown in Fig. il, by adding rollers 2S, 29 and 30 so that'a single endless band may be drawn around both rollers and through the slot 16 around one of the rollers 30. It is also obvious with this construction thata plurality of bands may be placed side by side upon the rollers, and by varying the length of the bands and the positions of the rollers 28, 29 and 30, the bands may be drawn continuously about the rollers so that no points will enter and leave the slot 16 together. Y

vIt is obvious that others skilled in the arts of which this invention appertains, could make various changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In an advertising device, the combination with visible rollers spaced apart, of a member resembling the rollers disposed between them having a narrow slot therein, one or more bands disposed about the rollers and movable continuously in both directions through the slot, another rotatable roller to conceal the slot, and a device for constantly rotating the first named 'rollers in the same direction.

2. In an advertising device, the combination with rollers, of a fixed member resembling a roller disposed therebetween having a narrow longitudinal slot therethrough, endless bands disposed about the rollers and the fixed member and movable continuously in opposite directions through the slot, a

rotatable idler roller to conceal the slot on one side thereof, and a driving mechanism for rotating the first named rollers continuously in the same direction.

3. In an advertising device, the combinamember having a slot therethrough, one or more endless bands disposed about the rollers and 'the member and movable in both directions through the slot, endless bands disposed about the-separate sections of the slotted member, adhering closely thereto and freely movable thereabout with which the other bands contact and which are moved bythe Contact of the said other bands, and means to rotate therollers.

l. In an advertising device, the combination with rollers spaced apart, of a slotted member disposed therebetween, the `slot forming a part of the member into substantial semicircular portions, endless bands disposed about said semicircular portions in close contact therewith but freely movable with respect thereto, one or more endless bands adapted to be placed about the rollers and through the slot in contact with the other endless bands whereby all the bands are moved when the rollers are rotated, and means to rotate the rollers.

5. In an advertising device, the combination with rollers spaced apart, of a xed member disposed therebetween, of substantially the same size and formation as the rollers and having a slot therethrough, one or more endless bands surrounding the rollers and movable through the slot and another roller disposed on one side of the xed member in position to substantially hide the end of the slot and adapted to be rotated, and means to rotate the rollers. Y

6. In an advertising device, the combination with rollers spaced apart, each roller being :provided with a flange at the ends thereof, affixed member disposed between the rollers having a slot therethrough, flanges at the ends of said member rotatable with respect thereto and resembling the flanges of said rollers, one or more endless bands disposed about said rollers and to rotate the rollersand the flanges on said member between the rollers.

7. In an advertising device of the class described, a fixed member having a slot therein, flanges for said member at the ends thereof having internal teeth,means connecting the teeth of the two separate flanges, one of said flanges being provided with outside teeth whereby it may be rotated to eiect the simultaneous rotation of both flanges.

8. In an advertising device, the combination with rollers spaced apart, of a fixed member intermediate the rollers, one or more bands movable ,about the rollers and said member, rotatable flanges on said fixed member, means to rotate the rollers and said flanges, and an idle roller in front of the fixed memberv having frictional engagement with the rotatable flanges thereof to effect vthe rotation of the idle roller. tion `with rollers spaced apart, of a fixed 9. In an advertising device, the combination with rollers spaced apart, of a member through the slot of said member, and means iis in, one or more bands disposed about the In testimony whereof I have signed my rollers and movable through the slot, flanges name to this specification, in the presence of l0 freely rotatable upon the said member, and two subscribing witnesses, on this 28th day an idle roller disposed in front of the slot of January, A. D. 1913.

and having frictional engagement with the CHARLES H. RETTMAN. said rotatable flanges whereby the slot is hid Vitnesses:

and the idle roller appears to be in friotional CHARLES H. SEEM,

engagement with the band. K. W. WoNNELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

